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Obama: No ‘ransom’ for raising debt ceiling

Behind the Curtain: GOP talks default

“I will tell you unequivocally, we’re not going to default,” he added.

Cornyn’s comments come as some House Republicans have signaled an interest in a short-term debt ceiling raise ahead of a looming fiscal fight.

“We’re discussing the possible virtue of a short-term debt limit discussion so we have a better chance of getting the Senate and the White House involved in discussions in March,” Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), the chairman of the House Budget Committee, said according to news reports on Thursday.

Earlier this month, the Houston Chronicle noted, Cornyn did not rule out the possibility of using a government shutdown as a tool in upcoming spending debates.

“The coming deadlines will be the next flashpoints in our ongoing fight to bring fiscal sanity to Washington,” he wrote in a Jan. 3 op-ed, referencing debt ceiling, sequestration and budget-related deadlines. “It may be necessary to partially shut down the government in order to secure the long-term fiscal well being of our country, rather than plod along the path of Greece, Italy and Spain.”